


Love Fully Realized

by telliefan (captainamergirl)



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6901084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/telliefan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael assuages Lauren's fears and doubts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Fully Realized

Lauren Fenmore-Baldwin could barely keep her hands from shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. She was weaving her way through traffic in her Jetta on the highway. She was dreading what was coming next. If worst came to worst, how would she tell her beloved husband that he could lose her when they had just been reunited after a terrible ordeal in which she almost died at the hands of a madwoman.   
  
“Okay, Lauren, quit thinking about Sheila,” she chided herself. “That is not going to make you feel better.”   
  
She pulled into a space in front of the hospital and parked. She climbed out of the Jetta and stood for a moment; her legs were trembling so; she felt she might fall head first into the concrete. She regretted not telling Michael where she was going that morning. She was scared and he would have been there for her. He would have pulled her into his strong arms and held until the trembling stopped and then he would hold her hand as they walked into the hospital. And he would have sat by her side for as long as possible.   
  
_You don’t want to worry him unnecessarily,_ she reminded herself sternly, as she walked towards the hospital’s entrance. The doors opened with a swooshing sound. Then she got onto the elevator.   
  
A woman was wheeled into the elevator by a male orderly. She was about Lauren’s age and she looked sickly and frail. Would Lauren look like that eventually?  
  
Lauren averted her eyes from the woman’s jaundiced face and watched the numbers as the elevator climbed upwards. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 … every number was taking Lauren closer to her appointment with destiny …  
  
The elevator doors opened on the 8th floor and Lauren got off. She walked to the nurse’s station.   
  
A friendly looking woman with graying hair greeted her. “Hello. How may I help you?”  
  
“I – I am here to see Dr. Bateman,” Lauren said.   
  
“Okay, just take a seat and I’ll tell her you are waiting.”  
  
Lauren found a seat and slipped down onto it. It was far from comfortable. She jingled her keys as she waited impatiently. She just wanted to get this over with so she could go home and eat a carton of ice cream and watch Lifetime. That is what she always did when she felt upset. Tracy Gold was a close friend now.   
  
She had waited for twenty minutes, thumbing through magazines, and then slamming them down as quickly as she picked them up. She had been avoiding looking at the medical pamphlets. Now she grabbed one from the bookcase and scanned it, becoming increasingly distressed.   
  
“Dammit – where is the doctor?” Lauren said irritably. She was going over to the nurse’s station when she spotted Dr. Bateman coming out of an exam room.   
  
“Hello, Mrs. Baldwin, I’m ready for you now.”   
  
“Okay …” Lauren walked over to her. The doctor held the door open.  
  
“I am sorry you had to wait so long,” the female doctor said. “It’s been a hectic day.”   
  
“Tell me about it.” Lauren said. “Pralines and Crème,” she murmured under her breath.   
  
“What did you say?”   
  
“Oh – pralines and crème. That’s the ice cream I promised I would buy myself if I made it through this appointment without peeing my pants.”   
  
The doctor gave a short little laugh. “Everything will be fine. This is a really routine procedure. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”   
  
Lauren nodded and stepped inside Dr. Bateman’s office. The doctor motioned Lauren to a chair and then sat across from her.   
  
“Do you have any questions about the procedure?”   
  
“Will it hurt very much?”  
  
“You might be a little sore after the anesthetic wears off but you won’t feel anything during the procedure.”   
  
“How exactly does the procedure work?”  
  
“A small incision is made and the lump is removed, and then the incision is closed up with fine stitches. You’ll have stitches for about 7-10 days to make sure it will heal closed. The lump that is removed will be sent to a hospital pathology department and will be analyzed. When I get the results, I will call you in.”   
  
“If it is ….” Lauren hesitated. “If it is … cancer … what is the next step?”   
  
***  
  
After the procedure, Lauren was forced to stay and rest until the medication had worn off. Then she changed out of the hospital garb and into her own street clothes.  
  
Dr. Bateman was right – her breast _was_ tender. She ignored the pain as she walked down the hospital corridor.   
  
She was heading out the door when she heard someone calling after her. “Lauren!” It was Michael.   
  
_Maybe if I just keep walking he will think he mistook me for someone else,_ she thought. But she didn’t have time to get away because he had caught up to her.   
  
“Hey, didn’t you hear me calling your name?”  
  
“No, sorry.”  
  
“What are you doing here?” Michael asked, kissing her cheek.   
  
“What are you doing here?”   
  
“A client of mine was in a car accident and he wants legal counsel,” Michael answered. “I think he’s just a big old baby but … Anyway, what about you? Why are you at the hospital?”   
  
“No reason …”  
  
“Are you visiting someone – a friend, a neighbor, a lover?” He joked.   
  
“Michael …”   
  
Michael’s smile faded. “Honey, what’s wrong?”   
  
“Just stop asking questions,” she snapped.   
  
“Wow – something is really bothering you.”   
  
“You are what’s bothering me.” She regretted the words as soon as she said them. “Nevermind. I’m sorry. I’ll see you at home.”   
  
And with that she spun on her heel and raced out of the hospital leaving Michael with a perplexed stare on his face.   
  
***  
  
Lauren got home and broke into tears the minute she closed the door behind her. She had held back the tears all the way through the grocery store to pick up her ice cream, and all the way home in the car, and now her emotions came bubbling up to the surface.  
  
She sagged against the wall, crying heavily. _What if I have cancer?_ She thought. _What if I die? What will happen to Kevin, Scott, and Michael? My poor husband._   
  
She was ashamed at how badly she had treated him at the hospital. She had not wanted to tell him until she got the results of the biopsy back but now he knew something was wrong, and would push her for details.   
  
Lauren grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and then went into the bedroom. She changed into her pajamas – the ones that Michael always teased her about because they were so unsexy. But they made her feel warm and comfortable. She got in bed and used the remote to turn on the TV. Then she pulled the covers up to her chin and began to eat her ice cream.   
  
She heard the front door open and then Michael was calling her name. "Lauren! Lauren, where are you honey?” She heard him toss his brief case into the hall closet and in another second he was standing in the doorway.   
  
“Honey, you left the hospital so suddenly. What’s bothering you?”  
  
Lauren didn’t reply, just took another bite of ice cream and stared at the TV.   
  
She felt Michael sit beside her on the bed. “Is this a good one?” He stroked her long, copper-colored hair.   
  
Lauren sighed. “Not really. I’ve seen it three times. Suzanne Somers's husband in the movie is accused of murder and she is trying to prove his innocence but she doesn’t really know if he is guilty or not.”   
  
“Ah, a faithful wife,” Michael said. “Mind if I turn it off?”   
  
Lauren shrugged. Michael caressed her face. “You were at the hospital today. I don’t think you were visiting anyone so what’s up? Ohmigod!” He slapped his forehead. “You’re pregnant!”   
  
“No, I wish,” Lauren said slowly. “That I could deal with.”   
  
Michael looked sad. “What can’t you deal with?”   
  
Lauren looked away. She knew she had to tell him but she was afraid to shatter his world. But they had vowed never to keep secrets from each other.   
  
“I had a biopsy today,” Lauren said.   
  
“Oh no …”   
  
“I found a lump in my breast.”   
  
“Oh, Lauren, no.” Michael said. “Oh honey you must be so scared.”  
  
“Yeah, I am.”   
  
“But why didn’t you tell me?”   
  
“I wanted to spare you,” Lauren said. “I didn’t want to worry you if nothing was wrong.”   
  
“How could you keep this to yourself? You must be going out of your mind. I wish you would have told me sooner.”  
  
“What would be the point?”   
  
“I could have supported you. You shouldn’t have had to go through this alone,” Michael said.   
  
“It’s okay.”   
  
“No its not. How did you find out?”   
  
Lauren frowned deeply. “I noticed that my left breast was especially tender but I didn’t think anything of it. Then I went to see Dr. Russo, my gynecologist, for my yearly exam and she felt a lump. She referred me to a surgeon who I saw today, Dr. Bateman, and she said that I needed a biopsy to check for breast cancer.”   
  
“Wow …”   
  
“I’m scared, Michael,” Lauren said. “More scared than I’ve ever been. I can handle Sheila and the things that go bump in the night but this … this is too much.” She wept. “I am afraid I’ll get sick and you’ll have to take care of me.”   
  
“You will never be a burden to me,” Michael said sincerely.   
  
“But what if I lose a breast?”  
  
“That won’t bother me at all. This is a huge burden for you to deal with alone. You should have told me.”   
  
“Please don’t berate me,” Lauren said.   
  
“I’m sorry. I am just so sad that you have been suffering in silence and I had no idea what was going wrong. I feel like a total idiot.”   
  
“Don’t feel that way,” Lauren said. “You have been busy with John’s case and your other clients.”   
  
“That’s no excuse for ignoring your needs.”   
  
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Lauren said. “You are a wonderful, kind, loving man and I could not ask for a better husband.”   
  
“Is there anything I can do for you now?”   
  
“Just hold me,” Lauren said. “And don’t let me go.”   
  
“I can certainly do that,” Michael said and wrapped his arms around her waist.   
  
***  
  
It was a week later and the results of the biopsy hadn’t come in yet even though Michael had used his connections to speed up the waiting process.   
  
Lauren worried as the days went on that it meant bad news.   
  
Lauren knew Michael was worried too, but he didn’t let on. He had become her personal cheerleader and he was pampering her like crazy – he brought her breakfast in bed, and painted her nails, and massaged her back. She told him he was smothering her but he didn’t care and she didn’t really mean it. He just wanted her to know how much he loved her. It was sweet but Lauren was often too worried about her possible diagnosis to enjoy it.   
  
“Do you realize it has been a week?” Lauren asked. “A week and still nothing.”   
  
“I am sure that Dr. Bateman will call as soon as she gets the word.”   
  
“Ugh! I am going out of my mind,” Lauren said, standing and walking to the window. “I think I am actually going crazy.”   
  
Michael came over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Whatever happens, we will get through this together.”   
  
Just then the phone rang and Michael raced for it. Lauren waited expectantly, alternately hoping for it to be the doctor and then hoping it wasn’t. No news was good news, supposedly.  
  
Michael picked up the phone. “Hello?” He nodded. “Okay, I’ll get her.” He held out the phone to Lauren. “It’s her.”  
  
Lauren slowly put it to her hear. “Hello, Dr. Bateman?”   
  
“Yes, Mrs. Baldwin, it’s me.”   
  
“Do you have my test results?”   
  
“Yes I do. I would like to schedule an appointment with you to go over them.”   
  
“When?”   
  
“How about tomorrow at noon?”   
  
“Oh no that won’t work. I can’t wait that long. Can’t you just tell me now, over the phone?”  
  
“Its not standard procedure.”   
  
“I don’t care. Please tell me now.”   
  
“Oh alright …”   
  
Lauren listened intently and then stared at Michael with teary eyes. "You're sure?” She asked the doctor.  
  
“I’m sure.”   
  
“Well, thank you, thank you very much.” Lauren hung up the phone.   
  
“Well?” Michael said.   
  
“I’m cancer-free!”   
  
“Are you sure?” Michael asked, as if he were afraid it was all a joke and she was really sick after all.   
  
“I’m sure.” Michael opened his arms and Lauren rushed into them. They fell back on the couch.   
  
“I am so relieved,” Michael said, stroking her face.   
  
“Me too.” Lauren smiled for the first time in days. “Thank you, Michael.”   
  
“For what?”  
  
“For being there … for just being. I love you so much.” Lauren’s tears ran down her face and onto his.   
  
“Hey, don’t cry. We have reason to celebrate.” Michael wiped her face. "What do you say we make a night of it?”   
  
“What will we do?”   
  
“Stay home, curl up on the couch, watch a movie on Lifetime, and then make love all night.”   
  
“I say let’s skip to the make love part,” Lauren said.   
  
“Alright with me.” Michael kissed her and then picking her up, carried her into their bedroom.   
  
**The End**


End file.
